The Vicious Female Supporting Character Just Wants to Cuddle with the Heroine - Chapter 7

Ning Xin’s words were a huge relief for Li Niang. It was a good thing her mistress wasn’t upset with her. She figured she should work even harder from now on.

After finishing her meal, Ning Xin returned to her room to continue embroidering her pouch and to think carefully about what kind of business she wanted to start.

In modern times, it was easy to make money from women and children. She figured it was the same in ancient times. Since she wanted to earn money, it would be best to cater to women.

Ning Xin didn’t consider businesses like restaurants and inns. Those were places where all sorts of people mingled, and it wouldn’t be easy for a woman to manage one in this era. However, a business related to clothing or rouge seemed more viable.

She had many modern Chinese clothing designs in mind, but they might be too bold for this time and not sell well. A business selling rouge, however, seemed like a good idea. After all, women have always loved beauty, no matter the era.

With her mind made up, Ning Xin sent someone to buy some of the common rouges available on the market. She needed to understand the quality of rouge available here first.

Half a month later, Ning Xin finally decided on the type of business she would pursue. She didn’t have much silver, so she could only afford to open a small shop. Since it wasn’t convenient for her to be in charge, she decided to seek out Shen Qingzhi. She trusted in the main character’s abilities and golden touch.

When Shen Qingzhi received the note, she couldn’t help but laugh. It simply said, “I miss you, older sister. Is it convenient to meet?”

There was no signature, so it could only have been Ning Xin. She really was too casual with her—only seeking her out when she needed something.

Ning Xin had the note delivered and, as expected, met with Shen Qingzhi that evening. After a long time apart, she realized she had missed her a little. “Sister Shen!”

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Shen Qingzhi took the note from her sleeve and placed it on the table.

Ning Xin chuckled and, as if presenting a treasure, handed Shen Qingzhi the rouge she believed was her best creation. “I’ve come up with a way to make money. I was thinking, maybe we could start a business selling rouge. What do you think?”

“Rouge?”

Although Shen Qingzhi wasn’t a fan of dressing up, her status meant she was forced to learn a lot.

“Yes. I made this. Sister, why don’t you try it?”

Shen Qingzhi half-heartedly opened the rouge and tried a little. The effect was surprisingly good. The color wasn’t particularly unique, but it didn’t feel dry when applied.

“How is it?”

Ning Xin knew what her creation was capable of, and she was eager to hear Shen Qingzhi’s approval.

Shen Qingzhi nodded. “It’s not bad.”

“That’s great. If you think it’s good, then it’s really good,” Ning Xin said, admiring her rouge with a smug expression. To her, this was about to turn into hard-earned silver.

Ning Xin’s money-loving expression made Shen Qingzhi smile. It was easy to get along with someone who was so transparent.

“Sister Shen, I have a great idea. I want to turn this rouge into a series and create a special set of boxes for it. That way, we can sell them at a high price. I’ll also make a batch of ordinary wooden boxes for the common people. What do you think?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t know about other places, but in the imperial city, aristocrats don’t like to shop with commoners. If you sell them together, the expensive ones probably won’t sell, and no one will dare to buy the cheap ones. You’ll end up losing on both sides.”

“Then, according to you, how should we sell it?”

“Separate them, of course.”

“I’ve thought about that, but it’s not easy to set up a separate shop. I can find a secluded place for the cheap ones, but the expensive ones need to be in a prime location. I don’t have the money for that…” Ning Xin finished, looking at Shen Qingzhi with pleading eyes.

Shen Qingzhi finally understood why Ning Xin had called her here. “I can handle the shop. But you have to take care of the products yourself.”

“Of course!”

“You’re not doing embroidery anymore?”

“Huh?”

Shen Qingzhi’s sudden question caught Ning Xin by surprise. She quickly regained her composure and gave an awkward smile. “Oh, I finished that, so I’m not doing it anymore.”

“You finished it? Let me see.”

Shen Qingzhi spoke so naturally that Ning Xin felt a little embarrassed. Her embroidery was a bit of a mess. But since Shen Qingzhi had already seen it, she didn’t mind as much. She took the small pouch from her sleeve and handed it to Shen Qingzhi.

Shen Qingzhi looked at the crooked embroidery on the pouch and smiled slightly. “I’ll take this. You can embroider another one.”

“Huh?”

Ning Xin didn’t know why Shen Qingzhi wanted her messy pouch. She only knew that since Shen Qingzhi wanted it, she couldn’t say no.

“Prepare the rouge as soon as possible. I’ll come to get the goods in half a month.”

“Okay.”

That night, Shen Qingzhi stayed in Ning Xin’s room, and Ning Xin cooked for her as before.

Having gone through this before, Ning Xin fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down. Shen Qingzhi, however, couldn’t sleep as she looked at Ning Xin’s peaceful sleeping face.

She had never felt this way before. Ning Xin was full of strange things: her inexplicable trust in her, her skills in needlework and making rouge, and her candid yet money-loving personality. It was all very peculiar. She had to figure out the reason behind all of it when she had the chance.

After staring at Ning Xin for a long time, Shen Qingzhi finally fell asleep. The next morning, she left quietly before Ning Xin woke up.

Ning Xin began preparing the rouge with great enthusiasm. She called in a few skillful people from the estate to help her. Since everyone had different tasks, they didn’t know what Ning Xin was ultimately making.

Ning Xin was thinking that once she got the money, she would distribute it to everyone and then tell them what she was doing. She hoped that the people in the estate would be on her side, so they could all get rich together.

Shen Qingzhi quickly prepared the shops. She named them casually, knowing Ning Xin wouldn’t care about the names as long as they made money.

Ning Xin also finished preparing her goods. She made 24 sets of the high-end rouge: 12 in pure gold boxes and 12 in pure silver ones. Since the gold and silver were hollowed out, her silver was just enough. The rest of the commoner’s rouge came in wooden boxes with carved patterns. Four boxes made one set. After making all these, she was left with no silver. She would have to wait for Shen Qingzhi to sell the goods before she could continue.

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